The Middletown High School Cavaliers beat the A.I. DuPont Tigers 51-26 and raised more than $5,000 for Beat the Beast with their Cancer Awareness Game Friday night.

Cavaliers' running back Jamar Baynard put the team on the scoreboard with a 42-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

The Tigers scored with a 49-yard pass, but missed the extra point, keeping Middletown in the lead 7-6 with about eight minutes left in the first quarter.

Line backer Chris Godwin made the Cavaliers' second touchdown with an 11-yard pass from quarter back Darius Wade with less than five minutes left in the first, giving Middletown a 14-6 lead heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter began with a bang when Erich Schneider caught a 16-yard pass from Darius Wade, scoring a touchdown in the first 10 seconds.

Middletown's defense remained strong leading up to half time, keeping the Tigers from scoring.

A second touchdown in the second made by Thomas Davis put the half time score at 28-6 with the Cavaliers holding a strong lead.

The Cavaliers entered the third quarter strong with a 90-yard pass by Wade being caught by Godwin for another touchdown.

DuPont managed to gain six points in the third with a 57-yard run, bringing the score at the end of the third to 49-12.

The fourth quarter wasn't as promising for the Cavaliers as the first three.

The Tigers offense rushed the Cavaliers for two additional touchdowns, for a 14-point gain in the fourth.

Schneider made a tackle in the end zone though, giving the Cavaliers two more points, and ending the game 51-26.

Beating the Beast

Friday night wasn't only about football in Middletown.

Senior Brittany Firlein teamed up with Coach Mark DelPercio, members of the community and the Cavaliers football team to organize a night where Breast Cancer awareness took the field.

"It's a simple as taking something like Middletown football and partnering with Beast the Beast and making something positive come out of it," DelPercio said.

A pre-game ceremony Friday night highlighted local cancer survivors and those who have succumbed to the illness.

Survivors or victims' families sponsored more than 50 players from the Cavaliers football team to wear pink jerseys with their loved ones names on the back.

Each player was introduced with whom their jersey represented before the game and after the game, the pink jerseys were given to the family members or survivors.

"We wanted to pull the community together through showing the big picture," DelPercio said. "It was more

than just a game of football."

The night was about taking the sport, the Cavaliers game and giving back to the community, he said.

Page 2 of 2 - Firlein worked all week to raise cancer awareness around the high school leading up to the game against the Tigers.

As her senior project, Firlein organized activities each day and a raffle to teach her fellow classmates about the impact cancer has, what those who have it go through and that it is a good cause to support.

"My part was the education piece and helping the Helen Graham Center with weeklong activities and a raffle," she said.

Students did not have to pay for the raffle tickets, but each day had to participate in a cancer awareness activity to be eligible for the drawing held at the

game.

"[Firlein's] really helped us take the approach this week," DelPercio, who is also a math teacher, said. "We were given the opportunity to raise money for the local organization Beat the Beast through jersey and t-shirt sales."

Hundreds of pink t-shirts reading Beat the Beast were sold throughout the week to students and teachers.

The bright pink attire was a popular item at Middletown High School Friday, the day of the game.

And later that night, even more people were wearing the t-shirts and waving pink glow sticks as the Cavaliers beat the Tigers.